Apparatus for locking and sealing burial caskets



July 6, 1943. R. B. PURKISS 2,323,674

APPARATUS FOR LOOKING AND SEALING BURIAL GASKETS Original Filed Aug. '7, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a! l5 1 I k z July 6, 1943. R. B; PURKl SS 2,323,674 APPARATUS FOR LOCKING AND SEALING BURIAL GASKETS Original Filed Aug. 7, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIII IIIIIlllllllllllllllilllWEI, lllllllllll IIIIIHITIIIIIIIIII lh-l /Mr M Patented July 6, 1943 APPARATUS FOR LOOKING AND SEALING BUR-IAL GASKETS Robert B. Purkiss, Batesville, Ind, assignor to The Batesville Casket Company, Batesville, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Original application August 7, 1940, Serial No. 351,692, now Patent No. 2,284,921, dated June Divided and this application October 20, 1941, Serial No. 415,734

4 Claims.

This invention relates to burial cases or caskets, particularly, that type which is hermetically sealed. More particularly, the invention resides in the provision of a pull-down or looking apparatus for pulling the lid of the casket down upon the body into hermetically sealed contact.

It is, of course, highly desirable to be able to operate a pull-down or locking means for this use through a means operated from a single point. With the back of the lid hinged to the body of the casket and the seal extended entirely around the engaged margins of the lid and body, the locking means may be readily disposed along the front of the structure.

In the usual structure for hermetically sealing a burial case, a separate inner seal is used to form the sealing member and a plurality of individual screws or clamps is employed for the sealing operation. Inasmuch as these screws or clamps must be individually operated and carefully adjusted for evenly compressing the gasket element, it is quite obvious that a great deal of time and effort is required in the casket closing and sealing operation.

Accordingly, it has been an object of the pres,- ent inventor to provide a pull-down and locking means for sealing the lid of a casket upon the body, which means is operable from a single operating point and which is adaptable to any type of casket, as for example, those types employing either the full length top or the sectional top.

It has been a further object of the present inventor to provide a lid pull-down and locking means for a casket which applies pressure uniformly to the lid and does not require adjustment of several clamps, utilizing for this purpose, a single operating means active at a series of pull-down points.

It has been a still further object of the present inventor to provide an operating means for this purpose which is greatly simplified and which can be efficiently mounted in a location where it is concealed even when the lid is raised, and preferably in the body within the zone which is sealed when the lid is closed.

This application is divisional of my previously filed patent application, Serial No. 351,692, filed August 7, 1940, for Casket sealing and locking means now Patent No. 2,284,921.

Other objects and certain advantages of the invention will be more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a casket of the so-called single sealer, full couch type, incorporating a sealing means and utilizing the lid pull-down and seal locking means of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the casket illustrating the pull-down and locking means arranged along the front of the casket body.

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on line 33, Figure 2, illustrating the lid of the casket lowered into position, wherein the pull-down and locking means may be effective for pulling the lid down and looking it in hermetically sealed position.

Figure 4 is a view taken similarly to Figure 3, but showing the pull-down and locking means actuatedwith the lid pulled down into hermetically sealed position.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken through the operating head and the adjacent end of the wedge bar for detailing this structure.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-9, Figure 5, further detailing the structure of the operating head and the wedge bar.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detailed view of one of the pull-down studs.

Figure 8 is a detailed view of a modified form of pull-down stud.

Figure 9 is a perspective view taken similarly to Figure 1, but showing a casket incorporating a sectional top.

Referring to the drawings, the casket shown therein, comprises a body portion 10 and a top or cover if. The top is hinged along its rear edge to the rear wall of a body portion ID by means of hinges 12.

Extended inwardly from the upper edges of the side and end walls of the body portion III are flat horizontal flanges providing a front flange l3, a rear flange l4, and end flanges |I5l5. These flanges l3, It, and [5 form a continuous seat about the upper end of the body portion Ill against which the hinged top H is adapted to close. The top is provided at its outer ends with inwardly extending flanges |6l6 adapted to co-act with the end flanges |'5l5 and along its front and rear edges with inwardly extending flanges I1 and I8 respectively, which flanges are adapted to co-act in confronting relation to the flanges l3 and 14 respectively.

Provided in the continuous seat formed by the flanges l3, l4, and I5 is a continuous groove [9 in which is disposed a sealing element in the form of a tubular rubber gasket 20 which normally projects partially above the surface of the flanges so as to be engaged by the flanges ofthe top I I when closed upon the body portion I and thus form a seal about the entire marginal portion of the top.

Referring now to the pull-down means, generally indicated at 2|, this means is designed so as to operate for uniformly sealing the casket by means of a crank 22 or other suitable tool applied to a single operating location on the casket. With particular reference to Figures 2 to 4 of the drawings, this means ZI extends longitudinally beneath the front horizontal flange I3 of the casket body portion ID. The means embodies an operating head assembly 23 for actuating a wedge bar 24, which bar co-acts with pull-down studs or draw members 25 on the casket top for drawing the casket top down into sealing relation with the body portion of the casket.

The operating head assembly 23 (Figures 5 and 6) comprises a mounting portion 26 which is attached to the inner side of one end wall 21 of the casket body portion by means of bolts 28. This mounting portion 26 includes a metal housing 29 having a recess 30 in its inner side adapted to enclose the lock nuts 3I-3I. Disposed between the outer flat side of the housing 29 and the end wall 21 of the casket body is a rubber head gasket 32, while disposed over the recessed inner side of the housing is a rubber closing gasket 33. As shown in Figure 6, the bolts 28 pass through the housing 29 and gaskets 32 and 33 so that when tightened, the head gasket 32 seals the housing 23 to the casket wall 21 and also seals about the bolt hole openings. The closing gasket 33 seals against the inner face of the housing 29 and also against the face of the innermost lock nut 3 I, as well as about the mounting bolts 28. A bronze washer bearing 34 in the recess 30 forms a thrust bearing for the inner lock nut 3 I.

Threaded through the lock nuts 3I-3I is an operating screw 35 having a head 36 at its outer end bearing against the outer end of the housing 29. This head projects slightly through an opening 31 in the casket end wall'2I. A lock tube or spacer sleeve 38 is disposed between the screw head 36 and the lock nuts 3 I'3I and forms a shoulder against which the nuts 3I-3I are locked to prevent loosening of the lock nuts upon rotation of the operating screw in either direction.

The wedge bar 24 is guided for longitudinal movement along the under side of the front casket flange I3 by means of suitable guide clips 39, and is formed with two or more spaced apart cams or Wedges 40 having inclined portions 4| which are upwardly inclined in a direction toward the operating head 23. The guide clips 39, as shown in Figure 3, form stops against which the wedges 4i] abut to limit opening movement of the wedge bar 24 by the operating screw 35. Each wedge 40 is provided with a key hole slot 42 which extends throughout the inclined portion with an enlarged end portion 43 of the slot formed in the horizontal portion of the wedge bar at the upper end of the wedge. The lower end of each inclined slot 42 terminates in a horizontal portion 44 at the lower end of each wedge 40.

Secured as by welding, brazing or in any other preferred manner, to the forward end of the wedge bar 24 is a travel nut 45 having a threaded opening for receiving the operating screw 35, whereby upon rotation of the operating screw, longitudinal movement is imparted to the wedge bar. The head 36 of the operating screw 35 may be provided with a wrench opening or socket 46 for receiving the crank 22 which imparts rotation to the screw.

The flange I3 is provided with stud receiving openings 41 which, when the wedge bar 24 is in an open or retracted position, will align with the enlarged .ends 43 of the key hole slots 42, as shown in Figure 3. A pull-down stud 25 is provided for each wedge 40 of the wedge bar 24.

The pull-down studs 25 (Figure '7) are formed with a shank portion having a shoulder 48 intermediate the ends of the shank providing a threade end portion 49 and a plain neck portion 50 having a tapered or conical head 5I at its lower end. The threaded end portions 49 of the studs are passed through openings 52 in the front flange I! of the casket top and receive cap nuts or the like 53 which are soldered to the flange I! as at 54, so as to seal the openings 52.

The top II is provided with one or more of the pull-down studs 25. A wedge 40 is provided on the wedge bar 24 for each pull-down stud. The neck portions of the studs are of a diameter substantially equal to the width of the narrow portions of the key hole slots 42, whereby the neck portions may be received in the slots after the heads 5| have passed through the enlarged slot portions 43.

In operation to hermetically seal the casket ID, the wedge bar 24 is in a retracted position with the enlarged ends 43 of the key hole slots 42 aligned beneath the openings 41 in the front flange I3. The hinged top II is then lowered until it rests upon the continuous gasket 20 and the headed ends of the pull-down studs project down through the aligned openings 43 and 41. The operating screw 35 is then turned and the travel nut 45 drawn toward the head assembly 23 for imparting a longitudinal or pull-down closing movement to the wedge bar 24.

As the wedge bar is moved, the heads 5| of the pull-down studs 25 will ride down the inclined portions of the wedges 48 and pull the top II into compressing relation upon the gasket 20, thus efiecting a seal about the entire upper margin of the body portion I0. As the operating head 23 is actuated, the pull-down studs are moved in a direction at a right angle to the direction of travel of the wedge bar 24, so that the top section I I is drawn down upon the gasket 20. When the travel nut 45 is drawn by the operating screw 35 against the closing gasket 33, as shown in Figure 4, the gasket 33 is compressed against the inner end of the housing 29 and also against the face of one of the lock nuts 3|, thus effectively sealing the operating head. If so desired, a plastic compound may be placed on the screw threads of the operating screw 35 for further sealing any opening through the lock nuts. Thus, from a single operating point, the casket top will be evenly sealed upon the body portion of the casket.

Referring to the modified form of pull-down stud mounting shown in Figure 8, the threaded portion 55 receives a dished washer 56 beneath which is disposed a plastic material such as putty or the like 51 for forming a seal about the shank of the stud. A nut 58 is threaded into engagement with the washer 56 for retaining the stud in place. This type of stud may be used in those cases where the studs are not within the fully sealed zone of the casket.

. While the caskets have been shown of metal, they may be of any suitable material customary in the art.

Thus, it will be seen that in all form of the invention, an even sealing action is had throughout the entire sealing area by means of a concealed wedge bar operable from a single location and co-acting with a series of pull-down studs.

In the form of casket shown in Figure 9', the casket embodies a sectional top; that is to say, there. are two top sections, each of which is hinged in the same manner as the single top structure, and each of which sections may be raised and lowered independently of the other.

Each of these top sections incorporates two pulldown studs and when lowered, may be pulled down and locked upon the seal through the mechanism heretofore described.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A pull-down and locking means adapted to be mounted within the body of a casket for pulling the lid of the casket into sealed contact with the body, comprising a series of pull-down elements adapted to cooperate with pull-down elements on the lid, said first pull-down elements being interconnected and movable longitudinally along and within the front of the casket body, an operating screw for actuating said elements simultaneously, a housing secured to the end wall of the casket body and traversed by the screw, said screw including a headed end projecting through an opening in the wall of the casket body and abutting the end of the housing adjacent the wall of the casket, said housing including a recess, retaining nuts engaged on the screw Within the recess and cooperating with the head of the screw for maintaining the screw against axial movement within the housing, a gasket disposed between the housing and the wall of the casket body for sealing the opening" in the wall of the casket body wall, and a cover gasket secured upon the inner face of the housing for sealing the recess.

2. A pull-down and locking means adapted to be mounted within the body of a casket for pulling the lid of the casket into sealed contact with the body, comprising a series of pull-down elements adapted to cooperate with pull-down elements on the lid, said first pull-down elements being interconnected and movable longitudinally along and within the front of the casket body, an operating screw for actuating said elements simultaneously, a housing secured to the end wall of the casket body and traversed by the screw, said screw including a headed end projecting through an opening in the wall of the casket body and abutting the end of the housing adjacent the wall of the casket, said housing including a recess, retaining nuts engaged on the screw within the recess cooperating with the head of the screw and maintaining the screw against axial movement within the housing, and means on the housing for sealing said opening through the wall of the casket body.

3. In a casket of the type employing a body having an inwardly extended marginal flange, a top having a corresponding flange and a seal associated with the flange; a lid pull-down and locking means comprising headed pull-down studs depending from the flange of the top and adapted to project through the flange of the body, a wedge bar, means for mounting said wedge bar on the underside of the forward flange of the body, said wedge bar including an inclined portion for each headed pull-down stud terminating in a horizontal portion, said inclined portions including slots adapted to receive said studs, said slots including enlarged portions for receiving the heads of the studs just ahead of the inclined portions, said slots terminating in the horizontal portions, and means extending from the casket body for actuating said wedge bar, whereby longitudinal movement of the wedge bar will cause said headed pull-down studs to traverse the slots to positions where the heads thereof are disposed on the horizontal portions of the wedge bar for exerting uniform pull-down action on the lid.

4. A pull-down and locking means adapted to be mounted within the body of a casket for pulling the lid of the casket into sealed contact with the body, comprising a. series of pull-down elements adapted to cooperate with pull-down elements on the lid, sai first pull-down elements being interconnected and movable longitudinally along and within the front of the casket body, an operating screw for actuating said elements simultaneously, a screw retaining and supporting device secured to the inner side of the end wall of the casket body, said device traversed by said screw, means in said screw retaining and supporting device maintaining the screw against axial movement within the device, the end wall of the casket body including an opening through which the end of the screw projects for operation, and means between the device and said opening for sealing the opening.

ROBERT B. PURKISS. 

